Cell-case.



PATENTED 001?. 13, 1903.

J. H. CARTER.

CELL CASE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 22, 1903.

H0 MODEL.

NITE

Starts Patented October 13, 1903.

Prion.

JAMES H. CARTER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CELL -CASE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 741,306, dated October 13, 1903. Application filed April 22,1903. Serial No. 153,762. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Beit known that I, JAMEs H. CARTER, acitizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cell-Cases; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates particularly to cellcases of that kind in which the cells are formed by bent strips locked together.

The object of the invention is to form an improved structure having improved locking means and forming a strong and stable cellcase particularly adapted for the transportation of eggs, fruit, and the like.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the case. Fig. 2 is a plan view of a blank from which the cells are formed. Fig. 3 is an edge view of one of the strips bent.

Referring specifically to the drawings, the case is framed by straight outside or boundary strips 6, forming the outer Wall of the case. The cells are produced by partitionstrips 7, which have at the end tongues 8, which engage through slits 9 in the outer pieces 6. The outer pieces are similarly joined together by tongue and slit at the corners. Each of the partitions 7 extends diagonally across the case. Hence they do not cross each other. They are bent to zigzag form on the lines 10, which are spaced apart a suitable distance to produce cells of the desired size. The angles produced are right angles when the case is set up, and each strip is joined to its neighbor at alternate bends on opposite sides, respectively. The diagonal extension of the strips across the case necessitates strips of different lengths. Thus the corner-strip is the length of two cells, the next strip the length of four cells, the next strip the length of six cells, and so on until the line of greatest diagonal diameter is reached, whence they decrease to the opposite corner in the same ratio. The locking of the strips at the corners of the cells is effected by tongues 11, out outof the blank. These tongues interlock by engagement of the neck 12 of each tongue in the slit 13 of the adjacent strip, said necks and slits being formed at the bending-lines 10. When the strips are bent, the

tongues are caused to project as indicated in Fig. 3, which makes their engagement an easy matter. The tongues are symmetrical, so that when they are interlocked the tongues of one strip lie within the openings in the blank left by the tongues of the other strip. This produces a lock whichserves to prevent unintentional separation. The case is readily collapsed by extension thereof diagonally in line with the length of the strips, which, as said before, all extend in the same direction. Extension in that direction straightens the strips until they lie parallel and collapses the cells accordingly.

A tongue-and-slit connection believed to be novel is produced at the junction of the outside strips 6 and the partition-strips 7. This joint is formed by the slits 9, which receive the tongues 8, as said before. The slits are curved at the ends, producing nibs, as indicated at 9, and to facilitate the entry of the tongues through the slits the shoulders of the former are cut away, as at 8*. The tongues are then inserted through the slits at an acute angle, and when straightened out to a right angle the nibs pass through the openings 8 and extend across behind the tongues, which cannot then be withdrawn except by bringing the joined strips to an acute angle again.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The combination in a cell-case, of a series of zigzag strips having engaging tongues and slots on opposite sides on alternate corners, the tongues being symmetrically cut from the strips, and the tongues of one strip fitting in the space in the next strip from which its tongues were cut; substantially as described.

2. The combination in a cell-case, of a series of zigzag strips having interlocking tongues at alternate corners on opposite sides, each tongue having a'slit therein, producing a reduced neck extending through the slit of the adjacent tongue.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES H. CARTER.

Witnesses:

LIGNA FEL'lSKOG, H. G. BATCHELOR. 

